Railway track layer



Feb. 9, 1932. J. E. LEWIS 1,844,914

RAILWAY TRACK LAYER Filed July 25, 1931 Jaw/v 5. LEW/5 Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES JOHN EDWARD LEWIS, or EMSVTORTH,I 31\TGI.iA1 ID RAILWAY TRACK LAYER Application filed July 25, 1931, Serial No. 553,167, and in Great Britain May 8, 1930.

This invention, which relates to a railway track-layer for layinglengths of ready-assembled track, i. e. rails, and sleepers, provides a track layer comprising a layer proper con- 5 stituted by an endless delivery and return trolley track supported from and above a train of trucks and extending forwardly of the leading truck a distance somewhat greater than a, length of track to be laid,

19 gangs. ofinotor-driven wheeled trolleys in which are incorporated means for lifting and lowering a track length, means for determining the correct positioning of a track length before it is finallylowered, and a power van located in rear of the train of trucks. I

Means are also provided for loading the trucks with ready-assembled track lengths, and a locomotive located behind the power 29 van serves to move the train as and when a track length has been laid.

For aready understanding of the invention,refer.ence is to be had to the following description andaccompanying sheet of diagrammatic drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view illustrative of the track-layer proper. FigureQ, is a top viewillustrative of the delivery and return trolley track thereof.

' Figure 3 is an end view of the leading truck.

Fig. l is an end view of a rear truck.

In carrying out the invention and referring to the drawings, there is provided at the front end of the leading truck 1, and extending the width thereof, an inverted U-shapedlat-- tice or other girder or arch 2 of convenient height, and to one side of the other trucks 3 a number of inverted .U-shaped lattice or other girders 4 are secured.

. The short arms of the L-girders 4 face inwardly of the trucks 3 and at right'angles to the sides thereof, and extend over the longit-udinal central line of the trucks, whilst at the other sides of said trucks 3 anumber of electrically operated cranes, not shown in 50 tends forwardly of the truck 1 a distance somewhat greaterthan a length of track to be laid. Y

Fixedly supported from the underside of the bracket 5, arch 2 and also from the undersides of the short arms of the L-girders 4, is I a trolley-carrying track, the same consisting of two horizontal longitudinally disposed conveniently spaced-apart trough-section and 3, whilst thegirder7 is disposed to one side of the centre of said trucks.

The centrally disposed girder 6 constitutes the delivery member of thetrack; the side If desired, the straight return side portion' 7 ofthe track, instead of running along; side the delivery portion thereof, may be positioned above said delivery portion and in alignment therewith, and in this case said return portion is supported"fromthe undersides of the short arms of supplemental inverted L-girders, extending from the upper portion of the 'beforementioned L-girders, and the looped ends of the track will be consequently upwardly inclined.

The straight portions 6 and 7 of the track are builtup of girders which correspond in numberandlengthto the number and length of the trucks, and the adjacent ends of said girders are so shaped and connected together at 9 that they are capable of lateral move ment inrelation to one another.

On the lower flanges 10 of this overhead track are adapted to travel the wheels of a number of gangs of travelling trolleys, each gang consisting of three'trolleys 11. Each trolley 11 is provided with two electric motors, the one for operating a hoisting drum 12 provided with cables 13 carrying hooks 14, the other for travelling tne said trolley 11.

The electric motors obtain current by way of shoes 15 from three conductors which are supported, in an insulated manner from the undersidesof the lower flanges of the trolley girders 6, 7, S.

Further, on the opposite sides, and at the girders,respectively 6 and 7, the girder 6 being disposed centrally over the trucks 1 front end of the leading truck 1, there is provided a horizontal guideway 16 in which is slidably mounted a block 17, the rear end of which is connected to a hand lever 18 pivotall mounted on the side of the truck. A plat orm, not shown in the drawings, is supported from the same side of the truck to accommodate an operator thereon.

The front end of the block 17 is fitted with a forwardly extending rod 19, which is horizontally disposed, and carries a depending guide member 20. The guide member is constituted by a skeleton-frame consisting of upper and lower rings connected together by rods, the lower ring being of less diameter than the upper ring so that the frame is of a downwardly tapering formation.

The rings are split to form aligning gaps therein, and the lower ring is positioned conveniently above the level of the rails 21 of the track and in vertical alignment with the center thereof, as also obtains with the gaps aforesaid. Alternatively, the guide members may be constituted by a tapering shell which is vertically slit from end to end.

On the outer face of the block 17 there is slidably mounted, by pin and slot connection, a balanced lever 22 which, at its lower end, is provided with a switch 23 electrically connected to a bell in an operators control cabin 24, the said cabin 24 being supported from the leading girder or arch 2 and the back of the bracket 5 aforesaid.

In addition to the bell, the control cabin contains a brake-operating lever 25 and the various switches controlling the travelling trolleys, a switch for each gang of trolleys, the levers 25 being connected by a rod 26 and links 27 to a brake strap 28.

The switch 23 on each balanced slidably mounted lever 22 is adapted to contact with a pin 29 positioned near to the front end of the rail of an already laid track 21, said pin 29 extending outwardly, horizontally and at right angles to the rail 21 to which it is detachably aflixed.

To the underside of the outer end of each rail 21 of the laid track there is bolted a sole plate 30 which extends conveniently in frontthereof. and the extension part of the sole plate 30 is provided with a bolt-receiving locating hole and also with holes for securing bolts.

Further, the rails 21 of each readyassembled track length are, at their rear ends, each provided with an outstanding contact pin 31, and a bolt-receiving locating hole, and at their front ends each fitted with a contact pin 32 and a sole plate 30 with a bolt-receiving locating hole and also with holes for securing bolts. The power van contains the generator which provides the necessary current for working the travelling trolleys, the electric cranes, and also for feeding electric lamps so that continuous working is possible.

Assuming the track-layer train is on a laid portion of the track The trucks of the train are loaded, by means of the electric cranes of the trucks, with ready-assembled lengths of tracks from lengths of tracks which have been previously dumped alon side the permanent way from a feeding train of trucks.

The operator in the control cabin 24 then, by actuating his control switches, first lowers the hoisting cables 13 of a gang of trolleys 11 to enable the hooks 14 to be engaged with the rails 21 of a track length, and then hoist up said length, and the train is then pushed by the locomotive to the end of the laid track where it is stopped.

The operators on the leading truck 1 then, by means of the levers 18, push forward the slide blocks 17. and with them the guide members 20 until the switches 23 on the lower ends of the levers 22 of said blocks 17 contact with the contact pins 29 in the ends of the laid rails 21 and close the circuit of the bell in the control cabin 24. said levers 22, by their pin and slot connection with the blocks 17, then pivoting and sliding upwardly on said blocks 17 to slip the contact pins 29 and return to their normal position, thereby breaking the bell circuit. This outward movement of the slide blocks 17 brings the guide members 20 into a position above the bolt-receiving locating holes in the sole plate 30 of the laid rails 21.

Meanwhile, the operator in the control cabin 24 has operated the control switch of the above gang of trolleys 11 to cause the same to travel from the trucks 3 and 1 outwardly and along the delivery track 6 under the bracket 5 to correct position thereon and then by operating his brake lever 25 stops said trolleys.

On hearing the bell ring, the operator in the cabin 24 then lowers the suspended length of track, which is guided by the rear ends of the rails of said length of track sliding down through the slotted guide members 20, until the rear ends of the rails rest on the sole plate 30 with the bolt-receiving locating holes aligning.

At the same time, the contact pins 31 on the rear ends of the rails of the lowered track length contact with the switches 23 on the levers 22 of the slide blocks 17 and again close the hell circuit. thereby notifying the operator in the control cabin 24 that the length of track is in position, whereupon the ground operators release the hooks 14 from the rails of the track length, and the operator in the cabin 24 sends the empty trolley gan on to the return track 7 to take up a fres length of track.

The operators of the guide members 20 immediately pull back, by means of the levers 18, the slide blocks 17 and with them the pivotal levers 22, thereby breaking the bell circuit again, whereupon other operators insert temporarily bolts into the locating holes in the sole plates and rails.

The next succeeding gang of trolleys picks up another length of track and travels the same forwardly on to the delivery track 6 under the bracket 5, whilst the train is moved forward on the length of track just laid, and the laying of this second length of track proceeds in the same manner as above described, and so on for each succeeding length of track until the trucks are empty.

The track lengths are bolted to the sole plates as soon as the train has passed, and the locating bolts are removed for use again.

The sole plates, which sole plates constitute in effect fish-plates, will be made of a shape such as is suitable for the rails of the track, that is to say, they may be of T-shape when flanged rails are employed, or of a U or trough-like form to take under a double bull-head rail when such is employed.

As the trucks of the track-layer train become empty, the feeder train brings up a fresh supply of track lengths and dumps the same alongside of the line ready for the reloading, by means of the electric cranes, of the trucks of the track-layer train.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. Means for laying sections of ready-assembled railway track comprising wheeled trucks to travel over the track sections after the same are laid, an endless trolley trackway mounted on said trucks and extending beyond the front end of the front truck, and

trolleys mounted on said trackway for forward movement along one portion thereof to deliver a track section in advance of the front truck and for return movement along another portion thereof to a position to receive another track section.

2. Means for laying sections of readyassembled railway track comprising wheeled trucks to travel over the track sections after the same are laid, a trolley trackway mounted on said trucks and extending beyond the front end of the front truck, a trolley mounted on said trackway for movement therealong to convey a track section to a position in front of the front truck, guide means at the front end of the front truck, and means whereby movement of the trucks over the laidtrack' sections to a point near the end of the laid track moves said guide means to a position to guide the inner ends of the rails of a track I section supported by the trolley into correct relation to the ends of the laid track rails upon lowering of the trolley supported track assembled railway track comprisin wheeled trucks to travel over the track sections after the same are laid, a trolley trackway mounted on said trucks and extending beyond the front end of the front truck, a trolley mounted on said trackway for movement therealong to convey a track section to a position in front of the front truck, guide means for movement to extended and retracted positions relative to the front end of the front truck, said guide means being adapted for cooperation with the inner ends of the rails of a track section supported bp the trolley to guide said track section into correct relation to the ends of the laid track rails upon lowering of the trolle supported track section, and means for a justing said guide means to bring the same in correct relation to the ends of the laid track rails while the front truck is disposed on the laid track near the end thereof.

4. Means for laying sections of readyassembled railway track comprising wheeled trucks totravel over the track sections after the same are laid, a trolley trackway mounted on said trucks and extending beyond the front end of the front truck, a trolley mounted on said trackway for movement therealong to convey a track section to a position in front of the front truck, the track sections to be laid being provided with stop devices, and

means carried by the front truck for coopera tion with the stop devices of the last laid track section by forward movement of said truck over said track section to actuate a signal when said truck moves onto the last laid track section and when said truck substantially reaches the forward end of said track I section.

JOHN EDVARD LEWIS. 

